John Bolton Surrenders to Authorities After Federal Indictment

President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton surrendered to authorities on Friday to face Espionage Act charges over allegedly mishandling classified information.

The 26-page, 18-count indictment, filed in federal court in Maryland on Thursday, accuses Bolton of transmitting and retaining highly sensitive material, including diary entries he shared with two unnamed individuals while serving in the White House.

Prosecutors say the notes “described in detail Bolton’s daily activities as the National Security Advisor,” including classified settings and briefings.

Bolton didn’t talk to reporters as he arrived at the courthouse on Friday morning, turning up “almost before it opened,” according to CNN.

In a statement issued Thursday, he denied wrongdoing, vowing to “defend my lawful conduct and to expose [Trump’s] abuse of power.”

His lawyer, Abbe Lowell, called the case “a misuse of prosecutorial discretion,” adding that Bolton’s diaries were “unclassified, shared only with his immediate family, and known to the FBI as far back as 2021.”

The case marks the third indictment in recent weeks against a prominent Trump critic.